


Despair Street (An Aphmau/Danganronpa AU)

by StoryWarrior



Series: Aphmau/Danganronpa Cross-Over [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, aphmau - Fandom, mystreet
Genre: Angst, Angst and Fluff, Blood, Death, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Murder, Swearing, Violence, a murder disguised as a suicide, i used headcanons and the fandom wiki for some of this, its been so long since ive watched these series, mentions of suicide in two later chapters, only some fluff then boom more pain, some characters may be OOC im sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:22:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25658914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StoryWarrior/pseuds/StoryWarrior
Summary: 18 people wake up in what looks to be their old high school; Pheonix Drop High. Spoken to by a strange robotic imp like demon, they are told that they are the stars of a killing game, where they either kill to survive, or die...[ This is a fanfiction crossover of the minecraft roleplay series Mystreet by Aphmau and the famous games/anime Danganronpa (I don't know if there is manga leave me alone please). Please do not read if you are underage as this is going to be a very dark book, the warnings should be enough hopefully. This is still in the process of being written, I will try to update it fortnightly as I have chapters pre-written. ]
Relationships: All character friendships, Aphmau/Aaron Lycan, Blaze/Ein, Garroth Ro'Meave/Laurance Zvahl, Kawaii~Chan/Zane Ro'Meave
Series: Aphmau/Danganronpa Cross-Over [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1860448
Comments: 4
Kudos: 36





	1. Introduction

Hello everyone, and welcome to an Aphmau/Danganronpa Crossover AU. This will include some of my own ships and headcanons, including male x male ships. Some personalities may be a little OOC (Out of Character) due to how long it’s been since I have watched a lot of the series. First up, the warnings for this au (there will be warning at the start of any chapter that needs them, but this is an overview of what sort of warnings there will be:

  * Number 1: A lot of cursing/bad words
  * Number 2: A lot of violence, gore and blood
  * Number 3: Mentions and an act of suicide (mentions only twice and known once, but still)
  * Number 4: A shit-ton of angst



If any of those things trigger you, I highly suggest not reading this AU. Or know what Danganronpa is in general. Now a few headcanons/the ships that will be included!

**Ships:**

  * Aarmau (Aaron/Aphmau)
  * Zane~Chan (Zane/Kawaii~Chan)
  * Garrence (Garroth/Laurence)
  * Blazein (Blaze/Ein)



**Headcanons:**

  * This will have a redemption Ein/’good’ Ein. No Einmau, it will be revealed Aphmau and Ein are half-siblings at a point.
  * I have read the wikis for a lot of the ultimates, for a few characters that there is less about, so a bit of that has been implemented, mainly in Blaze and Daniel’s Ultimates.
  * Adding onto that, Blaze’s Ultimate is the Ultimate Track Star because 1) werewolf and 2) he does enjoy a lot of exercise and activities like that, and I like to headcanon he is a very fast runner with a lot of stamina due to the werewolf factor.
  * Daniel’s Ultimate is the Ultimate Vet because once again 1) werewolf and 2) because of his sweetheart nature I do like to headcanon that he enjoys spending time with animals.



And lastly, I want to address some things for the beginning of this AU, to clear anything up and prevent Author’s Notes as much as possible.

  * Number 1: The chapters will either be in Aphmau’s P.O.V or Third Person, I will prevent from going into a lot of the other character’s P.O.Vs as much as possible.
  * Number 2: The characters will be around 19-20. They have finished High School.
  * Number 3: Monokuma will be replaced with a robotic imp as reference to the Diaries powers of the Demon Warlock, who could use imps to look like other people (that will come into play at some point). The robot's name will also be Warlock to play at the Demon Warlock of both Mystreet and Diaries.
  * Number 4: The characters will have lost their memories of each other (like normal Danganronpa), but some form of bonds for some people will still be there, so things will happen quicker/filler chapters. But they will remember that this is the school they used to go to, but will not remember each other.
  * Number 5: The school where they are trapped is Phoenix Drop High School, I will be changing the look of the school a little to suit what is needed/I cannot remember what the school actually has. So for example, this AU of Phoenix Drop High School will have a pool area that also contains showers along with the bathrooms, and some of the classrooms will have been changed to bedrooms for the trapped students.
  * Number 6: Ultimate statuses they all know what theirs is, and it is a “normal” thing to have in this AU, basically Danganronpa games/anime logic xD
  * Number 7: Three of the students will not come in until chapter 4 starts (all chapters will have parts)



But that should be it for now, I hope you Aphmau fans (and Danganronpa fans if you are) enjoy this book, and I plan to make more parts/Danganronpa Crossover AUs (like the second and third games) with other characters! Including perhaps some Pheonix Drop Days characters, Falcon Claw University characters and possibly modern AU versions of My Inner Demons characters! Hope you guys enjoy it. 


	2. Prologue: Welcome to Phoenix Drop High

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of 18 people wake up in what appears to be her old high school, entirely unaware and confused seeming unable to remember anything other then what she was doing beforehand...

**???’s P.O.V**

I groaned, lifting my head off of the floor beneath me. Everything spun for a while until I composed myself. Everything was hazy, the last thing I remembered was walking to the bus station to visit my mom, I felt something hit the back of my head, then everything went dark. I sat up, and it felt like a lot of my thoughts or...memories were gone. I could only remember a few things.

Like my name. Aphmau. Yeah, I’m Aphmau, the  **_Ultimate Storyteller_ ** . As for where I was...I looked around. The wooden desks, the large chalkboard at the front of the room, the teacher’s desk, the banners hanging near the door- I was back at my old high school; Phoenix Drop High. Pushing myself up, I dusted off my purple jacket, and pushed open the door. As I walked through, I was shocked to realise that the layout of my high school had changed a little, the windows had been barred shut with iron, and a lot of areas up stairs and even  _ rooms  _ had been locked up. “Huh...talk about solitary confinement.” I murmured to myself, wincing as I crashed into a set of doors.  _ Oh yeah...the gymnasium.  _ Pushing open the doors, I was shocked to see about 19 other people in there, all keeping to either themselves or a group. And even I had to admit, a lot of them seemed...eerily familiar. But I couldn’t place where.

“Another one?” I perked up, orange eyes wide to notice a taller boy with stark white hair and shining green eyes walking towards me. He smiled as he extended a hand. 

“Don’t freak out,” He stated, smiling as I took his hand, and he shook it enthusiastically, “we’re all about as confused as you are. I’m Travis Valkrum, the  **_Ultimate Scientist_ ** . Kinda was my dad’s thing but, oh well!” He chuckled, smiling. I smiled, shaking his hand.

“Nice to meet you...I’m Aphmau... **_Ultimate Storyteller_ ** . Do you know why we’re all here?” Travis shook his head, shrugging.

“Nope. I woke up in a classroom, and soon all of us were in here...now we have 20…”  _ Huh _ ...I looked around, they all seemed unique, some stayed in groups confused while others looked to be on their own. I recognised one though, I’d seen articles written anywhere and everywhere, besides his black hair with a singular blue streak, his werewolf ears and tail the same, pale grey eyes; He was Ein, the  **_Ultimate Manipulator_ ** . It was no surprise he was alone, but yet...there was something in his eyes that seemed...strange. Sad and conflicted almost. Barely anyone said anything, before we all heard a strange voice over the intercoms.

“ _ AHEM!  _ Testing, testing!~ 1, 2, 1, 2! Please would all students direct their attention to the podium behind them!” I turned with everyone else as smoke began to flick out from under the podium, and a small robotic imp jumped up. Its face was entirely black, with two bright purple eyes, sharp teeth and blackish purple hair, two horns curled on the top of its head. It smiled, staring at all of us.

“My name is Warlock! And I shall be your headmaster!~” A boy with black hair and dark eyes seemed to growl, pulling his red jacket slightly.

“Headmaster? You look like a bloody robot.” This ‘Warlock’ seemed to smile almost creepily.

“Maybe~ hehe!~ But anyway I shall be your headmaster until you graduate! Only  _ then  _ will you be allowed to leave! Now, all of you should have noticed the bracelets on your wrists! They were put on you while you were all asleep.” I blinked, and checked my wrist along with the other students. Sure enough, I had an intricate silver bracelet with a red light on it. Warlock giggled as we all looked around confused.

“That bracelet is to make sure that you all don’t go anywhere you aren’t meant to! The consequences will be  _ very _ dire should you disobey me…” A blonde haired boy tilted his head, fiddling with his blue and white flannel.

“What do you mean?” Warlock laughed, and what he said sent chills through me.

“Why,  _ DEATH _ of course! In fact, that reminds me how you will graduate…” His purple eyes darkened, and his voice sounded too chipper for what he said.

“ _ A student must kill another student!  _ I don’t care how! Strangulation, drowning, bludgeoning, a slit throat, just as long as you  _ kill _ !” We all trembled, and a girl with flaming orange and yellow hair spoke out.

“MURDER!? You’re insane! None of us will do that!” Warlock huffed, and made a few ‘tsk’ noises.

“Maybe not  _ now~  _ but I know you’ll kill some time! Now,” he stated, gesturing to a table beside the podium, “here are your student tablets! This tablet holds all the rules you will need to follow, as well as curfew times! Now, many rooms have been allocated to you for bedrooms, they’ll have your name and picture of them! Sweet dreams…~” and with that, the imp disappeared, leaving all of us standing there, chills sent down our spines. Barely anyone looked at each other, all seeming too shaken up to even think. Looking to the podium, I walked up and stood at it.

“Um...HEY!” I called, and the other 19 people in front of me seemed to turn, some looking scared, others confused and some- very threatening and angry. I swallowed, moving my hair away from my face. “Um...hi. I’m Aphmau, the  **_Ultimate Storyteller_ ** , I know we’re...all pretty scared right now but...I think introducing ourselves would be very beneficial before we leave…! And tomorrow we can meet in the cafeteria, it isn’t hard to find.” I looked around expectantly, but barely anyone got up or spoke out. Thankfully, Travis was the first, smiling as he took a tablet and stood near me.

“Well, I’m Travis Valkrum,  **_Ultimate Scientist_ ** . And I think this Aphmau has the right idea...we should all try and get along so we don’t play this game…!” I smiled thankfully at Travis as he walked back down. After that, one by one, they all came up and introduced themselves;

That guy in the red jacket was first (begrudgingly, he seemed offputtish and rude); Aaron, the  **_Ultimate Pack Leader_ ** (even though he didn’t seem to be a werewolf like some of the others here).

The blonde haired guy with the blue and white plaid shirt; Garroth Ro’Meave, the  **_Ultimate Strongman_ ** . Two others were his brothers; Zane, the  **_Ultimate Emo_ ** (he glared at anyone who snickered at that) and Vylad,  **_Ultimate Traveller_ ** .

A dark blue haired boy with a red jacket; Dante,  **_Ultimate Swordsman_ ** . He was apparently the younger brother to a guy with black hair and blue eyes; Gene,  **_Ultimate Gang Leader_ ** .

Next was the orange and yellow haired female who walked up with a short brown haired boy with blue eyes; they were also siblings; Cadenza Zvahl,  **_Ultimate Fashion Designer_ ** and her brother Laurence, the  **_Ultimate Casanova_ ** (he gave me a little wink as he walked back with her; he seemed cute, but I could see him eyeing that Garroth from across the gymnasium).

A meif~wa was next; she had beautiful pink hair and introduced herself as Kawaii~Chan, the  **_Ultimate Baker_ ** . Ein had come up after her and said he needed no introduction, and that was true, everyone appeared to avoid him which made me see a somewhat sad glint in his eyes. Strange...I might try talking to him at some point.

Next were two girls, a light blue-haired girl and a girl with red hair. Katelyn,  **_Ultimate Wrestler_ ** and Nicole Scaleswind,  **_Ultimate Boxer_ ** . A girl with brown hair and blonde highlights slipped up next, with shining amber eyes. She was Kim,  **_Ultimate Ghost Speaker_ ** (she explained the title was because she was able to summon and communicate with ghosts, occasionally resulting in being possessed. She freaked me out a little, but she was sweet.)

Then was another werewolf, this one had black werewolf features and red hair, with one blue eye and one green eye. He introduced himself as Blaze,  **_Ultimate Track Star_ ** . He was funny, and definitely boastful. Next, a girl with blonde hair and glasses was Emmalyn,  **_Ultimate Librarian_ ** , alongside a boy named Kenmur,  **_Ultimate Mechanic_ ** . A dark skinned, dark brown haired girl named Teony, the  **_Ultimate Mathematician_ ** . And lastly, a girl with orange hair and red eyes, who smiled sweetly; Lucinda, the  **_Ultimate Witch_ ** . 

Once everyone had a tablet, I sighed, jumping down. “Alright…! Since you all said you’ve gone to school here, I assume we remember where the cafeteria is! We’ll meet there for breakfast.” A lot of them nodded before heading off, siblings with each other. I smiled weakly, wincing as the black eyed male, Aaron crashed into me.

“HEY!” He scoffed as he barely turned, growling slightly.

“You know, you’re wasting your breath if you think you’ll get everyone to  _ work together  _ here...it’s useless.” I huffed, glaring at him.

“Well I don’t care! I’m still gonna try!” As I walked off, I could have sworn I heard him mutter ‘stupid’. I felt my face heat up as I walked down the halls, finding the room that had my picture on it, and I saw that across from me was Garroth, who smiled slightly as he walked over.

“Hey,” he smiled, extending a hand which I took eagerly. “You called yourself Aphmau right? It’s nice that you’re trying to make everyone feel better about this situation…” I smiled, glad that there was  _ someone  _ who seemed to be friendly. Well- they all did, save for that Aaron, Ein and maybe Gene...there was something scary about him.

“Well, someone has to…! And besides, that-  _ thing  _ can’t be serious…” Garroth looked aside before nodding, giving a determined look.

“Right,” He whispered, as we heard that stupid imp over the coms.

“ _ AHEM!  _ This is a school announcement. It is now 10PM, which means it is officially, Nighttime. All students must be in their rooms for an early start tomorrow! Goodnight, sleep tight. Don’t let the bedbugs bite…~” And with that, I walked into my room, noticing how indeed, the classroom was decked out like a bedroom. Sitting on the edge, I held my head in my hands before lying down, clutching my pillow as I looked fearfully to the door.

“This has got to be a dream…” I whispered.  _ Yeah...that’s it...just a- a bad dream...I’ll wake up and be at my apartment ready to visit mom… _

But yet, as I closed my eyes...something kept telling me this wasn’t a dream, and that things were only going to get worse from here. Much,  _ much  _ worse...but I’d need to hold onto my hope! For everyone here...otherwise we’d all fall into  _ despair _ …

~~~~~~

**No one’s P.O.V.**

The camera screens shone into each of the 20 student’s bedrooms, all of them sleeping, some peacefully, some tossing and turning. The figure sat at the desk, smirking as they tapped their finger on the desk, the imp robot turned off in the corner.

They lingered on Aphmau’s screen, the black haired girl curled up in the bedroom allocated to her. The figure smirked, glad that _this_ early in their little game, they’d found a worthy opponent. They’d make sure that she was protected...after all, what good was a game meant for despair without some hero desperately trying to save her ‘friends’? They didn’t even know her…- or... _ remember  _ at least.

  
“Good to know the potions did the trick…” They murmured, leaning back in the chair, still looking at the screen of the storyteller. 

“Have a good sleep Aphmau...the game will begin very... _ very  _ soon…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter One has been completed in its parts and will be updated next fortnight on Thursday. Hope you guys enjoy.


	3. Adjustments to Life - Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the first day in this messed up game, and people seem to already be turning to Aphmau for answers, and a leader...but what will happen when people get restless? They will need the Ultimate Storyteller more than ever, for what do they do if something occurs in peace? Or an accident...?
> 
> [May follow the games script more than the anime, I have seen more from the game than I have the anime]

**Aphmau’s P.O.V.**

_ “AHEM!  _ Rise and shine everyone! It is now 7am, time to greet your first  _ beAUTIFUL  _ day!” I groaned, sitting up from the bed, eyes glassy as I saw I was still in this room, still in this messed up world, messed up situation. I sat up, and blinked. Across from my bed, was a purple suitcase with a note on it. I got up, and looked at the messy handwriting, only  _ just  _ able to make it out.

_ ‘Because I believe in some cleanliness, you all have been allocated a suitcase! This will include outfits you can all wear, as well as items for sanitary uses; shampoos, toothpaste…! Are there facilities for these? YES! Will I tell you where? NOPE! _

_ -Warlock _

I huffed.  _ Stupid bloody robot... _ I looked at the time, hopefully everyone took my advice and would be meeting in the cafeteria. Walking down, I sniffed. I could smell things cooking in the kitchen, even though no one was there yet.  _ Figures.  _ I peeked in, noticing Kim and Kawaii~Chan in the kitchen. The mief~wa’s ears twitched, and she smiled as she saw me, both of them wearing an apron over their clothes.

“Aphmau~Senpai!” She smiled. I blinked once, then twice, tilting my head.  _ Senpai…? Isn’t that a...romantic term? _

“Wait- Senpai?” The pink-haired girl smiled and nodded.

“Yes! Kawaii~Chan saw how you took charge yesterday, and wanted to give you a leader’s name! So Kawaii~Chan will call you Aphmau~Senpai!”  _ Huh...well as long as she means it like that I suppose, besides, it may just be how she is, it’s cute I suppose.  _ Kim smiled, bringing plates over to Kawaii~Chan.

“Kawaii~Chan and I decided to make breakfast for everyone...since we’re all pretty shaken up from yesterday. And I mean, Kawaii~Chan is the  **_Ultimate Baker_ ** !” I smiled, offering to help while we waited for everyone else. Together, the three of us all soon got breakfast finished, and were putting them on the largest table for everyone when the other students began piling in. I was even surprised to see that Aaron had shown up, though he offered nothing more than a glare before he sat down. Travis smiled as he took a seat beside Dante, and we all sat, eating our breakfast before Gene swung his legs onto the table and spoke up first.

So, what the fuck do we do now?” He huffed, everyone looking aside. Obviously we had to talk about what that robot had said, but the thing was...no one wanted to believe it. But since we all were still here, we had no choice. I looked aside as I felt Travis nudge me in the side, and looking up, I noticed nearly everyone was looking up at me.

“What?” I looked around, and Blaze smiled, his tail wagging as he finished the breakfast in front of him.

“What’s our game plan!?” The red-head grinned, his ears twitching happily. Despite the situation he seemed determined to make everyone smile, keep people happy. I swallowed. Everyone seemed to accept me as a leader, even Aaron who looked aside begrudgingly. That also made me worried...they all counted on me, so what would happen if I let them down? I shook my head. I couldn’t let that happen, I couldn’t.

“Well, I think we should explore. I can already see that windows are blocked off, and the place seems...different somehow. So I think looking around should be our first thing, see where we can go and then meet back here after an hour or two. Try and go in pairs, or-” I blinked as Aaron stood first.

“-I’ll go on my  _ own _ ...I don’t need any of you.” And with that, he walked off. A lot of the students grumbled, before splitting themselves into groups; Kenmur and Emmalyn. Katelyn, Nicole and Lucinda. Laurence and Cadenza. Garroth, Zane and Vylad. Gene and Dante. Kawaii~Chan, Teony and Kim. And lastly, Blaze and Ein (to which I noticed Ein blinked and seemed surprised at, but offered a little smile as Blaze beamed back at him). As they headed off, I noticed Travis heading to me, eyes shining happily.

“Since we’re all in groups...maybe you and I could go together! We could have a name to, to keep an eye on each other…! Maybe...not-alone buddies?” I blinked and smiled. Something about that nickname seemed...familiar.   
******* **  
** **“** **_What about not-alone buddies? What do you think?”_ **

**_“Not-alone buddies!”_ ** **_  
_ ** *******

I smiled. It seemed familiar, comforting. “Yeah! Not-alone buddies…!” Travis smiled, white hair bouncing slightly.

“Great! Let’s go..!” I chuckled, and began to walk with Travis out of the room and through the school. The first thing we noticed aside from the windows being bolted was the door to the outside of the gymnasium was locked, and I knew there was a pool house out there.  _ So out to the track field and pool house isn't an option… _

Apart from our rooms, we could also access some sections of the library, but the stairs to the next floor up were barred off, and Travis and I blinked as we heard beeping from our bracelets.  _ Seems these  _ do  _ keep us where we’re supposed to be… _

**~~~~~~**

After an hour, Travis and I walked back into the cafeteria, and noticed everyone was there. We all came to the same conclusion; the next floor was barred off, a lot of rooms were locked and we couldn’t go outside the gym. Gene growled and huffed, kicking at the wall.

“The fuck is this? Some sort of prison!? Fuck this...I’m not doing this shit! Where’s that fucking robot!” We all stood and ran after Gene, who stormed out, heading to the gymnasium.  _ So much for keeping things calm...damnit. _ Sure enough, that robot was in the gym, and he smiled sinisterly as we all moved around him.

“Well!~ I could see you all were exploring! How was it?” Gene snarled and kicked the imp back, eyes narrowed angrily.

“What the fuck is your deal!?” He growled, and Warlock giggled.

“Rule number one…~ never harm your headmaster!” We all looked confused before we heard snapping above. Dante screamed loudly as Garroth grabbed Gene and pulled him back, a large metal box crashing onto the ground where he was standing, ropes broken. Warlock giggled as we all stared at him, and heard collective ‘ _ beeps _ ’ from our tablets. It was a rule;

**_Rule Number 3: Any attempt to attack the headmaster will result in immediate elimination/death._ **

We all panted as we stared at the metal box, Dante grasping his brother’s arm so tight we could see his knuckles go white. Gene stared blankly before pushing himself off, getting his brother to let go but made sure to stand close to him. Warlock grinned darkly, his purple eyes shining.

“Now you all have made me mad! But you’ll soon punish each other enough! Make sure you don’t stay sappy forever...this game  _ is  _ meant to be entertaining!” And with that, Warlock seemed to disappear. Gene growled and brushed himself off, storming out. I didn’t know what to do, I just stood there while everyone seemed to disperse.  _ What even is this place…?  _ I sighed, walking out. If we were going to be stuck here, I may as well try and get to know people. So that’s what I would do.

~~~~

Walking around the school, I’d found a lot of people in places. In the library, I noticed Ein sitting at one of the tables, his tail flicking slowly as he looked at one of the books. I looked aside, debating whether I should go over or not, after all he  _ is  _ famously known as the  **_Ultimate Manipulator_ ** . But then I remembered all the times I’d seen people avoid him, how he seemed to look sad, like he expected it but still wished it hadn’t happened.  _ And then there was how surprised he seemed when Blaze chose him as a partner _ …

Steeling myself, I walked over, as he turned his blank gaze towards me, grey eyes emotionless.

“...Yes?” He spoke, quite matter of factly. I sighed, giving a small smile as I sat down beside him.

“Well, I was wondering if you would like to talk…! You know, get to know each other better.” Ein blinked, and I couldn’t help but notice that he looked...very surprised. His ears went flat against his head as he raised an eyebrow, voice seeming quieter.

“Get...to know each other? You...want to get to know  _ me _ ?” I chuckled, he sounded so surprised, it was a little funny. His blank face was replaced with a very dorky and confused look.

“Well...sure! I mean your Ultimate surely isn’t all there is to you right?” Ein smiled slightly, looking aside.

“Guess not…” He muttered, moving the book aside. I smiled, and decided to talk to him for a while. As we talked, however, I kept looking at the blue streak in his hair, and I wanted to ask if it was real... _ wait, that thought...it’s familiar… _

*******

**_“Is that streak in your hair real?”_ **

**_“W-what?”_ **

**_“I was curious. Your ears and tail are the same colour as it…”_ **

*******

“I suppose it is.” I blinked, looking up and noticed the werewolf staring at me, leaning his head on his hand, smiling ever so slightly.  _ Did I ask out loud…? Did we have that conversation out loud?  _ Ein chuckled, messing with his hair a little.

“I’ve never really questioned it...I mean, some werewolves can have their ears and tail be colours that aren’t their hair, or even have tips that are a different colour. Like this one I remember...he had black ears with a red tip. But as for the streak I’ve never really questioned it,” he chuckled, and I smiled, excusing myself as I left the library. Looking back, I noticed that Ein had a little bit of a smile on his face, he seemed happier. It felt like...he and I got a little closer.

~~~~

While heading to the cafeteria, I noticed Garroth sitting at a table with Laurence, the two of them laughing and seeming to be close themselves. Garroth gave a huge smile and waved as he noticed me, and I saw Laurence give a little bit of a smaller one.

“Hey,” He smiled, blue eyes shining softly. “You’re Aphmau right?” I smiled and nodded, sitting down beside them.

“Yep..! And you were-”

“-Laurence,  **_Ultimate Casanova_ ** , pleasure to make your acquaintance milady~” I giggled, Laurence seemed forward, and chuckled as Garroth pulled him back. I smiled, and talked with Garroth and Laurence for a while. Call me crazy but...it seemed familiar, the three of us. Even though I swear I...I’ve never seen them before. At least I didn’t think I did.

“So, you two are...here with your siblings correct?” Garroth and Laurence nodded. Laurence spoke first, leaning back in the chair.

“Yep! Cadenza’s my older sister...her dad took me in when I was a little kid...we have a little brother too, but he’s only still a baby.” Garroth chuckled.

“Zane and Vylad are my brothers, I’m the oldest...Vylad’s our half-brother but he’s still our brother. He’s a lot more friendly, where Zane doesn’t really like to talk to many people, not even me…” I frowned. Garroth mumbled that last part, a worried face soon being replaced with what seemed to be a natural smile. Laurence smiled sympathetically before turning back to me.

“It’s nice that you decided to step up and help everyone Aph...can I call you that?” I smiled, these two definitely seemed like some of the most approachable people.

“S-Sure! And I mean, we need to work together right..? I’m sure if we all put our heads together we can find a way to get out of this without playing what sick game this- robot has in mind.” Laurence nodded, looking around before up at the cameras, as if someone was listening in on them, or at least he was fearful of that.

“Right...but I mean, if that ‘Warlock’ is a robot...there’s gotta be someone controlling him right? What if, while we’re stuck here we try to find where this person is? They’ve gotta be somewhere right…?” I looked aside. It  _ did  _ make a lot of sense that someone would be controlling that thing, and Garroth seemed to have the same idea. I smiled, it seemed like a good idea. Not to mention why certain things with people seemed familiar...

“I’m sure if we asked enough people we might be able to start investigating!” Garroth and Laurence both smiled, and I left after a short while, though not without feeling closer to two other people.

~~~~

We were all sitting in the cafeteria for dinner when we heard an announcement over the comms.

“ _ Attention! This is a school announcement! You all are boring me! Things better pick up soon, or I may take matters into my  _ own  _ hands… _ ” As the announcement ended, a majority of the people rolled their eyes, but there were a few that looked scared or stressed, those being Teony, Kim, Kawaii~Chan, Cadenza and Nicole. But even those who tried to look nonchalant were clearly also scared, they just didn’t seem to want to show it. The whole mood at the table seemed to go sour after that, and a lot of people left. It was then that I remembered the library; that had a few board and card games for when students would need to relax and unwind. I smiled.

“Guys!” I tensed at how immediately a lot of them turned (three of them being Ein, Garroth and Laurence). I breathed in, and then out. “I remember finding some board and card games in the library...those who are interested or want to be in a group follow me…! It’s only 6:30, and curfew isn’t until 10pm.” A lot of the people nodded and followed over to me, except for Nicole, Cadenza, Laurence, Vlyad, Blaze and Gene. With that, the rest of us headed to the library, and soon found ourselves relaxing and getting along. I even noticed that Aaron cracked some smiles, though he stayed a fair bit away. Even so...something in my gut was telling me this was all going to change soon.

~~~~

I looked around, arms folded. Everyone was getting along! Well- at least the ones who were here. Though after a while I walked out to find the bathrooms. While walking back, I noticed the light to the gym was on, and the door was slightly ajar, with something on it…

I frowned, and walked up, the chilling feeling going through my spine once again as I pushed open the doors. My eyes widened as a scream tore from my mouth. It was then that I noticed the familiar red hair and goggles of one of the others here; Nicole. She was lying on the floor near the stairs up, blood staining the ground near her back and head, blood on the pole of the basketball hoop and the railing. I felt like I was going to be sick, and it was then that I heard feet running up to me. We then all heard a dinging noise, and that stupid voice rang out from the intercomms.

_ “A body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time, which you may use however you like, the class trial will begin!”  _ I couldn’t move, I just stared at the body until more and more footsteps, and I felt a hand on my shoulder.

“What...the fuck…!?” Garroth breathed, his hand the one on my shoulder. Looking around, everyone had soon showed up, and that goddamn robot appeared.

“FINALLY! I was wondering when one of you would snap!” He laughed, eyes gleaming as he stared at all of us. “Now, as I said over the comms, there will be a class trial! And whichever of you murdered your friend, is now the Blackened…! If they can make it through this class trial without getting caught, then they will graduate! And everyone else will  _ DIE!  _ Isn’t it amazing!? Now,” I noticed Warlock walk over to me and hand out a tablet.

“This is the student profile. This will show you all the information you need about your friend's death. You will all hear an announcement when it is time! Take care…~” And with that, he disappeared.  _ This is sick...this is...SICK!  _ Looking up, I noticed Aaron as he pushed me to the side a little.

“Well?” He huffed, hands in the pockets of his jacket. “Aren’t you gonna investigate? You’re the leader of our group aren’t you…?” 

“I...I…” He sighed, and strangely, his eyes seemed to soften slightly as he looked at me.

“I know you don’t want to accuse anyone here,” He whispered, taking me aside from the others. “But if you don’t try to figure out what happened we’ll  _ all  _ die...I...damnit I can’t believe I’m doing this but- I’ll help…” I sighed and nodded, trying to compose myself.  _ He’s right...I need to do this...for Nicole, and everyone here!  _


	4. Adjustments to Life - Investigation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the discovery of Nicole's body, Aphmau must know investigate what she can with what help she gains, to attempt to bring out the murderer. But doubts are sowed within her mind. It couldn't possibly have been one of her friends...
> 
> Could it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for those who are enjoying this story. I feel very proud of this story, and I love that people are enjoying this story. Please feel free to leave comments if you enjoy it, and who do you believe the killer is?
> 
> [Remember: This is not a story for young children. This will progressively get darker as time goes on.]

Turning on the tablet, it displayed a screen, and Aaron and I read the information;

**_Victim’s Name; Nicole Scaleswind._ **

**_Time of Death; Between 7-8:30pm._ **

**_Cause of Death; Head injury._ **

It also showed a full body photo of Nicole, where she had injuries/blood. I sighed.  _ Okay...the head injury makes sense, considering there is a lot of blood around that area.  _ As I headed over to the body, Aaron headed elsewhere, to see where anything else was,  _ if  _ there was anything else. It was then that I noticed Travis walk up with Dante.

“I-if you want Aph,” Dante stuttered, his face pale as he tried to look away from the body. “Trav and I c-can try and keep people from tampering with the crime scene, and k-keep people calm…” I smiled.

“Travis, are you good to watch the crime scene? Dante, why don’t you try and go with the others to calm down…” Dante seemed to visibly relax as he walked off. Investigating the body, I noticed she was in a weird angle, like she fell from a large height.

**_Fell from a large height - Point 1_ **

The next was blood on the basketball hoop pole.  _ Strange...if it was a head injury...maybe… _

**_Blood on the pole - Point 2_ **

“Hey.” Aaron yelled. I looked up and followed him up the stairs. “Look.” I rolled my eyes, but followed his gaze. Scuff marks on the top steps, and then the blood on the railing.

“She must have fallen from up here, those scuff marks look a lot like the bottom of her shoes…” I nodded, smiling weakly to myself.

**_Blood on the stair railing - Point 3_ **

**_Scuff marks on top of stairs - Point 4_ **

“That looks like everything...time of death...not everyone was in the library.”   
  


“I’ll stay here some more.” Aaron huffed, seeming quite happy to not have to talk to anyone here. “You go collect some motives from who wasn’t in the library…” I nodded and walked out, nodding at Travis before heading off.  _ The people who weren’t in the library…Nicole though that’s obvious...but there was Cadenza, Laurence, Vlyad, Blaze and Gene who weren’t present either...so I need to talk to all of them. _

~~~~

Blaze was the first one I found. He seemed to be helping Kim, trying to distract the timid girl from what was going on. I smiled at them.

“Hey Blaze...I-I know this is probably a terrible thing right now but, you weren’t at the library, so I want-”

“-You want to know where I was right?” I nodded slowly, and Blaze gave a sympathetic smile.

“It’s chill dude,” He spoke, sitting up slightly, “I was in one of the study rooms. It had a TV in there and some DVDs, so I was in there until I heard that announcement. That was when I walked out and tracked everyone’s scent to the gym and- well you know the rest...the study room was the one across from the library.” I nodded, and I remembered hearing noise from inside that room when I left to go to the bathroom before finding the body.  _ So Blaze’s account checks out… _

**_Blaze’s whereabouts - Point 5_ **

“Thanks,” I smiled sadly, placing a hand on Kim’s shoulder before walking off.  _ Okay...that’s one alibi out of 6...alright.  _ I spotted Gene leaning against the wall not long after. He smirked as he looked at me.

“Well well well…~ what have we here? What do you want Kitty?” I huffed at the nickname, eyes narrowing as I folded my arms.

“Where were you Gene? Between 7:30 and 8:30.” Gene scoffed, his black hair flicking about.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Actually yes, considering this could prove whether you murdered Nicole or not.” Gene’s eyes narrowed as he stared me down. Granted, he was scary but right now there was an  _ actual  _ killer among us, and I was more scared of them then Gene right now.

“Fine,” he huffed, and cleared his throat before continuing. “I was in my room. I couldn’t be bothered to go to your little ‘funtime’ in the library so that’s where I was. I only left my room twice; to head to the restrooms, and then to check in the library on my way back to make sure my brother was ok. Then I went back. Capiche?”

“Fine.” I stated.  _ I’ll check on that with Dante later...make sure it checks out, I don’t remember seeing him even in the doorway to the library… _

**_Gene’s Alibi - Point 6_ **

~~~~

I found Laurence sitting with Garroth and Dante next. He was trembling like a leaf while Garroth kept an arm wrapped around him, Dante speaking with him sympathetically, incredibly pale. Laurence lifted his head a little from Garroth’s shoulder as I approached.

“Let me guess...you wanna know where I was?” I nodded slowly. Laurence sighed. “I figured...I mean a few of us weren’t there so...better safe than sorry right?” The blue eyed male ran a hand through his hair before continuing.

“I was in my room...then at around 7:10 I got hungry so I went to the cafeteria. While there I ran into Vylad, and the two of us decided to stay together until we heard running, so we followed and saw everyone at the gym and- yeah…”

**_Laurence’s Alibi - Point 7_ **

_ Right...well Vylad is one of the people I need to talk to, so we’ll see if it lines up.  _ Before walking off, Dante grabbed my arm, his blue eyes shining with worry.

“Have you asked my brother about his alibi yet?” I nodded, and Dante looked aside.

“I don’t know if it does much...but while Garroth, Katelyn and I were all playing a card game, I noticed Gene peek in from the library. I waved and gestured for him to come over, but he soon left.” I looked up, and noticed Garroth nod in agreement before going back to comforting Laurence.  _ So Gene was telling the truth then...alright.  _

“That actually does a lot Dante, thanks.” Dante gave a quick ‘no problem’ before heading back to the other two. While walking, I bumped into Vylad, and asked him the same question. He pulled down his green scarf since I couldn’t hear him that well and smiled.

“I was in my room since there was a stack of books, one was written about different places in the world so I tried to distract myself. I soon got hungry though and went to the cafeteria, when before I was about to leave I ran into Laurence. We decided to go back together and I told him some of my stories. Then we heard running and decided to follow since it sounded frantic. But...when we checked outside there was no one there. Then a second time we heard running we actually saw people, so we followed.”  _ Wait...Laurence said… _

********

**_“I was in my room...then at around 7:10 I got hungry so I went to the cafeteria. While there I ran into Vylad, and the two of us decided to stay together until we heard running, so we followed and saw everyone at the gym and- yeah…”_ **

********

_ He never mentioned a first time when hearing footsteps...hm...alright then.  _ I smiled and thanked Vylad, I’d be sure to attempt to bring that up during this ‘trial’ or whatever.

**_Vylad’s Alibi - Point 8_ **

~~~~

Lastly was Cadenza, who appeared to be fanning her face, which was red and puffy. I noticed dry tear marks on her face, though her eyes still seemed glassy.  _ Well we’re all shaken, I expected some to be more so than others… _

As I approached her, she didn’t seem to notice me. However, she jumped once I cleared my throat, her sky-blue eyes wide in alarm. She seemed to calm down when noticing it was me though. “A-Aphmau,” She stuttered, her voice slightly cracked, probably from the shock. “Wh-what is it…?” I smiled weakly, looking aside.

“I was wondering if you’d be able to tell me where you were between the time of death; 7-8:30PM.” Cadenza nodded slowly.

“Where I was? O-Oh yes. You see, I was incredibly shaken after hearing that we may be forced to kill...under extreme measures so I-I needed to lie down...I hadn’t shut my door properly so it was slightly ajar, and I heard the most awful scream, despite how faint it was which turned out to be your scream. I was worried so I-I decided to go down to where the noise was, and soon saw the-the...y-you know...oh Irene...why Nicole?!” I nodded slowly.  _ Her door is at the bottom of the hall...alright then.  _

**_Cadenza’s Alibi - Point 9_ **

~~~~

Heading back to the gym, I noticed Aaron starting to walk out, and he looked up at me, black eyes shining with confusion, and a little bit of clarity. “Find anything else?” He shook his head, huffing as he flicked up his hood.

“It didn’t seem like it…” I sighed and nodded, walking back into the gym. Travis smiled sadly at me before heading back out. “Did everyone’s alibis check out?” I was about to nod again, before remembering the difference between Vylad and Laurence’s.

“Oh! N-Nearly, you see-” Just before I could say anything, once again Warlock’s voice appeared over comms.  _ That stupid robot seems to have the worst timing… _

“ _ OK! I’m now bored of all of you standing around! So the investigation is now over! Please proceed to the basement stairs. And  _ everyone  _ must be present! Or there will be DIRE consequences…”  _ I sighed, Aaron growling.

“Stupid fucking robot…” He huffed, and walked out. Just before I left, I took one last look at Nicole’s body, and my eyes shifted to the side, noticing something which seemed to have a blood trail, leading to behind the stairs. 

**_Item behind the stairs with blood trail - Point 10_ **

_ Here we go...I-I need to do this...for Nicole, for everyone here! I need to keep them alive...I just hope...I just hope I have enough evidence...that’s it...hope...hope... _ H O P E…


	5. Chapter 1: Adjustments to Life - Trial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the investigation finished, Aphmau and the other students must now work together in a trial to determine the blackened, or face execution themselves. But with tensions high and bonds non-existent, how easily will they communicate together?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update guys, went on a small hiatus. I have a few chapters pre-written I will post soon, alongside other AUs I am working on.

We all made our way down the stairs, and our eyes widened to see podiums standing in a circle, with a large chair hoisted at the front where Warlock sat.  _ There’s one for...all of us? Hang on… _

“The hell is this!?” Teony cried. “There’s 20 of us, or there  _ was  _ but there are 23 podiums! Actually, 22. One is replaced with Nicole’s picture…” Warlock huffed.

“You don’t ask the questions here if they don’t have anything to do with the trial! Now, let me explain how this will work. You all must attempt to use whatever you found during the investigation time to your advantage, because you all are living with a killer right now! If the Blackened gets away with the murder, meaning after the class trial you all vote for the wrong person, you all will be  _ executed _ , and the Blackened will survive! But if you all pick the Blackened, then they will be the ones executed, and you’ll live here another day! Now, let’s get started!” We all tensed as we walked up to the podiums with our faces on the back, with our names and Ultimates.

I looked around, everyone was looking down silently.  _ Noone knows how to begin...or even where to...but we need to start. One of us killed Nicole...as much as we don’t want to admit it. It’s up to me to start it then I guess.  _ I cleared my throat, and sighed as I looked around at everyone.

“Alright…let’s start with the basics. The time of death was around 7-8:30pm, and-”

“Everyone in the library is safe.” I looked up. Zane, the  **_Ultimate Emo_ ** stood between Garroth and Kawaii~Chan, his ice blue eye glaring across from his podium.

“How do you figure?” Ein huffed, leaning on his podium, tail flicking bored. Zane growled.

“Because none of us would have left the library for long enough. We were all playing in groups, or in the line of sight of another. So no one in the library could have killed her.”  _ He does have a point… _

“ **Aphmau** left the library.” Gene smirked. “But I doubt she has the capacity to even  _ hurt  _ someone, let alone kill them. Therefore your argument is invalid. Right now  _ everyone  _ is a suspect…” Zane snarled and grumbled to himself. I sighed.  _ If they’re all going to argue then this trial is going to go nowhere! Oh Irene help me!  _ Aaron rolled his eyes, flicking his hood back. Kim rubbed her arm.

“A-are we even s-sure that...w-well that Nicole was even killed  _ in  _ the gym..?” Ein laughed loudly, eyes narrowing.

“Are you serious!? There would be a lot more blood if that were the case…! Are you  _ that  _ dumb-”

“ENOUGH!” Aaron yelled, and soon the whole place went silent. He huffed, eyes narrowing. “You can shut up if you don’t have anything to contribute! But to answer your question Kim, unfortunately he has a point...there would be more blood if she wasn’t killed in the gym.” She nodded, looking down at her feet.

“Alright…!” Thankfully, my call got some attention my way. Good. “What we found out was that Nicole was in the gym, and unfortunately no one else seems to have seen her beforehand. There were scuff marks at the top of the stairs in there, so-”

“-so she fell off them!” Katelyn stood, her arms folded as she smirked proudly. “The fall is what killed her!”  _ The fall? _

**Tablet File: Cause of death:** **_Head Injury_ **

“That’s incorrect!” Katelyn’s eyes narrowed as I felt my hands slam onto my podium. “The file presented when Warlock showed up revealed that the cause of Nicole’s death was a  _ head injury _ ...so she can’t have died from the fall!”

“Not to mention there was a lot of blood around her head…” I smiled at Aaron, who huffed with his arms folded. 

“So if the death was a head injury…” Kim mumbled, “then what was the murder weapon?”

“Why does that matter!?” Gene rolled his eyes. “Why doesn’t the killer just confess so we can get this over with?” Everyone went silent, looking around at each other.

“Because they’ll get to leave if we don’t find them…” Aaron rolled his eyes as well, earning mockery from Gene before he seemed to turn to Kim.

“Wait a goddamn minute, you’re the  **_Ultimate Spirit Medium_ ** right? Can’t you just summon Nicole’s spirit and ask her who killed her?” Kim perked up and was about to respond before Warlock cleared his throat.

“I was  _ hoping  _ that one of you would bring this up! And so, I’ve decided to add in a rule.” We all groaned collectively as our pads were updated.

**_Rule Number 4: No summoning spirits when a body has been discovered. That means during the investigation and the trial!_ **

“I do not want you all cheating! Otherwise I’ll  _ kill  _ you!” Warlock laughed, leaning back against his chair. We all went silent.  _ Great....there goes that idea… _

“Let’s start with what we know then,” Teony murmured, standing straight as she moved her hair behind her shoulders, “since there was no blood anywhere else, we can attest that she was in the gym when the murder occured. There was blood on top of the stairs, and on the bar where students could use it. So my deduction is that she slipped and hit her head on there.  _ That  _ was the cause of injury!” Everyone seemed to murmur and nod in agreement, but I looked down.  _ Something isn’t right about that… _

**Blood on pole downstairs and near Nicole’s head**

“That can’t be right!” I stood up, hands moving onto the podium in front of me. “Yes there was blood there, but there was also blood on the basketball hoop pole, and near Nicole’s head.”

“Maybe the killer tried to throw her down the stairs using those bars, and when it didn’t work, they leapt down and used the pole with the basketball hoop?” Travis smiled slightly, his green eyes glowing softly.  _ That would make a good explanation… _

“But Nicole was l-lying away from the basketball hoop wasn’t she?” Kim looked up, fiddling with her hair.

“Then she must have been moved,” Gene concluded.

“No, that isn’t right either…” Katelyn whispered, clearing her throat. “If Nicole was moved by the killer to where she was when we...s-saw her...then there would be a trail. There wasn’t a trail, there was only blood near her head.” Gene growled.

“Then how the hell do you suppose we figure this out!?” I swallowed, and shared a look with Aaron.  _ There is only one way we can get closer to this...figuring out who the best suspects are to the murder… _

I cleared my throat, standing up tall as I narrowed my eyes, fiddling with the purple jacket I was wearing. “There’s one thing we need to figure out...those of us who weren’t in the library, you all I spoke to.”

“ _ We need to clarify where you all were.”  _ Almost immediately, they began overlapping, and they all made sense.

Everyone who left to get food or use the bathroom outside the library heard Blaze was in a classroom…

Dante could vouch for Gene…

Cadenza’s seemed to check out…

“I’ll just repeat back what I told you,” Laurence sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I was in my room, then at around 7:10 I got hungry so I went to the cafeteria. While there I ran into Vylad, and the two of us decided to stay together until we heard running, so we followed and saw everyone at the gym.” Just then, Vylad perked up.

“Wait- what about the first set of footsteps we heard? You told Aph about those didn’t you?” Laurence seemed to tense, and he looked aside.

_ Now we’re getting somewhere!  _ All of a sudden, the attention seemed to move to Laurence, as things finally seemed to pick up the pace.

***~*~***

“O-oh! I-I must have forgotten,” Laurence chuckled weakly. Ein huffed, tail flicking.

“Seems like a big deal to forget...that first pair of footsteps could have been from the murderer…” Vylad then perked up and shook his head.

“We don’t know who they came from. We didn’t see anyone.” I groaned, holding my head in my hands.  _ We were no closer! _

“You said you left the dorms.” Gene murmured. “You could have killed Nicole, then head to the cafeteria to wash up. Vylad came in, so you stayed with him to ensure an alibi…” Laurence looked down.

“I-I didn’t kill anyone!!” I looked down.

“The time of death for the file did say that it was between 7-8:30…that  _ does _ give you time Laurence,” Laurence clenched his fist as he glared at me, fury raging.

“You really think I’d kill someone?! You’re insane!”

“Then explain it Laurence, you don’t need to be so defensive.”

“DON’T NEED TO BE!? Of  _ COURSE  _ I need to be defensive! You’re accusing me of killing Nicole! I didn’t even have a reason!”

“Noone did,” Aaron huffed, taking my side. I felt more powerful with him standing up for me. “But she still turned up dead. Answer the question Laurence,  _ did you kill Nicole? _ ”

“N-NO! I wasn’t anywhere there! I was with Vylad and yes okay we heard footsteps, but we-we didn’t see anything okay!? I thought I did but I d-didn’t!”  _ Wait… _

“Think you did? What did you think you saw Laurence?” His eyes widened as he looked aside.

“N-Nothing!” I sighed, this wasn’t looking good for him, and he was seeming more guilty as time went on.

“Laurence... _ did you kill Nicole… _ ? Please, just give us an answer. If you can’t tell us what you thought you saw then-” Tears gathered in Laurence’s eyes before a scream cut us all off.

**“ENOUGH!!!”**

Cadenza panted as she clenched her fists. Her scream had startled all of us. “E-Enough…” She had tears in her eyes as she looked down. “L-Laurence...is not the one to blame here…” She looked up, guilt gathering in her eyes.

_ “I did…” _

**~*~*~**

_ Cadenza...n-no… _ We were all silent as she stared at us, Laurence staring at her, his light blue eyes swarming with tears. Noone said a word, and Warlock watched with anticipation. It took me a while to realise everyone was looking at me.  _ That’s right...I’ve been helping them this whole time… _

“C-Cadenza…” I whispered, voice barely audible. “ _ Why _ …?” Cadenza sighed.

“I left my room...and came across Nicole...she...she noticed how scared I was, and so she offered me to come to the gym with her. We were having fun until...she climbed up the stairs and tripped…”

‘She hit her head on the bars, and when falling down hit herself against the basketball pole as I tried to help. Sh-She was in so much p-pain...s-so I...I…” Cadenza trembled as she looked down.

“Aphmau.” Aaron whispered. I looked over, he fiddled with his jacket as he looked at me. “Remember that thing we saw under the bleachers…? You need to know what that was...you  _ must  _ know...then you need to finish this for all of us...for Cadenza…” I nodded, remembering the item.  _ What was it…? _

Ä̵̩́̌̂̈́͂͛̆͒́̈̈́̿̆̂̄͛̇̒͜͜͠͝͝ ̸̡̧̤̯̼̹͚͈͇̳̝̘̦̫̎́̑͌̑͌͝͠ͅͅv̸̨̨̰͇̟̞̙̦͔̣͓͓̝̗̺̠͕̫̩̦̏̋͜ǫ̷̛̤̺̲͔̗̙̥̩̒̓̎̀̽̽͆͘̕͜͝ĺ̶̨̖̤̦̙̜̲̩͖̤̰͈̲̩͇̻͔̘̫͕̬̲͑̌̔͒̇͜ḹ̶̨̢̧̢̩̩̰̲͙̝̮̤͖͈̥̪͍̻͈̟͖͇̜̠̝͊̈́̇̓̉̔͆̏͋̐͂̈̀͌͛̇̋͂͜͠ę̴̡̨̢̜͚̥̟̖͍̼̝͇̖͕̪̤̳̙̻̻͔̥͔̳̇͋͆̅͊̿̋̋̎͛̏̕͜͠͝͝ẙ̶̡͚͖̬̣̍͆͋̊̽̿̀̆̀͝͠͝b̶̳̦̳͖̙̩̲̹͔̟̼͎̲̈̊͘a̷̧̨̧̞̲̣͔̙̬̩̯͇͕̬̣͇͈͖͇̦͙̙͛̎́̐̍̉̀͋̓́̊̎͂͌́͜͝ͅl̵̨̧̙̮̟̩̦̩̥͚͖͔͚͕̺̝̫̮̦͙̊̈́̓̏͘͘̕̚͜͝ľ̶̢̡̺̬̙͙̦̟̲̞ͅ

A̶̙̫͚͒̆ ̸̡̳̦̫͚͔͉̏v̶̨̡͚̰͋͑̎͠o̵̢͈̪̓̍̒͊l̸͉̹̲̰̥͑̏̈́l̶̦̲̲͗͝e̸̺̅̀y̴͇͒̒b̸̲̼̈́͋̉͂̂̚͝ã̴̖͓̙̤́l̴̩̻̜͉͉͕̱͚̑͠l̷̤̻͈̮̒̈́̚͠

A̶ ̵v̷o̴l̶l̶e̷y̷b̴a̸l̸l̸

**A volleyball** .  _ It was a volleyball!  _ I nodded at Aaron

“Alright then...it’s time I explained this once and for all!”

**~The Explanation~**

_ “While the majority of us were at the library, a select few didn’t come. That included the victim  _ and  _ the murderer. The murderer stayed in their room until they began to feel nervous and left. That was when they ran into the victim, who offered them to come down to the gym and relax. The murderer agreed.” _

_ “While they were there, the victim still wanted to make them feel comfortable, so they tried to make them laugh by showing off climbing up the bleachers. Unfortunately, they slipped, and hit their head on the bars. As the murderer tried to help catch them, they slipped, and the victim hit their head on the basketball pole. But they  _ still  _ weren’t dead. The murderer didn’t want to see them suffering, so they ran to the supply closet, where there was sport equipment for inside sports kept.” _

_ “They grabbed a  _ **_volleyball_ ** _. And threw it at the victim’s head with a strong arm, killing them and putting them out of their misery. The ball bounced and rolled behind the bleachers, but the murderer didn’t see, instead they ran back to their dorm. Unaware that two people;  _ **_Laurence and Vylad_ ** _ were inside Vylad’s room and heard their footsteps. But they didn’t see anything. At least...one didn’t.” _

_ “ _ **_Laurence_ ** _. Laurence saw something, and while it wasn’t enough to know something had happened yet, it was enough to know it was the murderer. And that the murderer was  _ **_someone close to them_ ** _. They kept quiet, and the murderer slipped out when I screamed, and everyone else came running.” _

**~BREAKING POINT~**

I slammed my hands down on the podium, determination racing through me as I turned to Cadenza, her eyes gleaming with tears as she held her hands to her face. 

“That murderer was  _ YOU  _ Cadenza, the  **Ultimate Fashion Designer** !”

Everyone was silent as they stared. Laurence had tears pouring down his face, and Cadenza cleared her throat as she spoke.

“I...I’m sorry everyone...but...l-let me be the only one okay!? You...you all make it out of here and-and don’t let  _ hope  _ die…! Laurence...I...I love you…” Laurence shook his head, no words coming out as Warlock jumped up.

“ _ FINALLY!  _ That was getting really boring! Now, in front of you all should appear a lever. Use it to make your decision on the blackened...the person with the most votes will be  _ executed _ ...be careful not to pick the wrong one..~” We all looked down, and back up at Cadenza. 

_ I’m sorry… _


	6. Chapter 1: Adjustments to Life - Aftermath & Execution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cadenza has been found guilty for the murder of Nicole. With a dark and cruel hand dealt by Warlock, what is left for the surviving students...? Can they continue to find the HOPE they need to continue?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE BE MINDFUL!!!! This is the first execution, and will be a bit intense/gorey. PLEASE proceed at your own risk, take care during the rest of the story.

We were all silent as we watched as a large screen came down. It showed photos of all of us, soon Cadenza’s lining up.

**Cadenza Zvahl has been found GUILTY!** We all looked down, as Warlock cleared his throat once again.

“Ahem, now, I am  _ happy  _ to announce that Cadenza was indeed the blackened! And since she has been found guilty, it is time for her execution!”

“E-Execution!? N-NO! Y-You can’t!” Laurence screamed, tears rolling down his face. Cadenza looked at her brother sadly as she smiled.

“It’s okay little brother...you need to hold on ok? I couldn’t let you die…”

“B-But if they b-believed it was me, you would have made it out!!” Cadenza shook her head.

“But I couldn’t live with you dying...or anyone else...I’m sorry…”

Warlock grinned. “Now, I have planned a  _ VERY  _ special punishment for the  **Ultimate Fashion Designer** ! Let’s give it everything we’ve got!”

_ “IIIIIIIIIITS PUNISHMENT TIME!” _

**~*~*~*~**

_ We all stared terrified as a rope came down and secured itself around Cadenza. Laurence was screaming and tried to run to his sister, before she was taken up and away. A wall opened up as some words appeared on the screen, and we all immediately began to feel sick to our stomach as we read them. _

**_Black Friday - Cadenza Zvahl; The Ultimate Fashion Designer Execution_ **

_ Cadenza was dropped into a seat, fabric and sewing equipment all around her. She jumped as outside she saw different Warlock robots banging on the doors and windows. Orders appeared on a screen in front of her, and she knew immediately what was happening. She began working, trying to make order after order, as they slowly got more intense. _

_ I wasn’t even aware I was holding my breath until I was nudged by Travis. We couldn’t look away as Cadenza began crying, her fingers bleeding as she kept trying to work. She screamed as the robots broke the windows, slowly trying to continue breaking down the door and the wall itself. We were trying to cheer her on though she couldn’t hear us. _

_ We all kept watching as the robots slowly broke down the doors as the machines all stopped. Cadenza screamed as she disappeared under the sea of imps, everything collapsing. We couldn’t see her until we saw blood begin to pour out from under broken tables, and we stared at Cadenza’s broken body as it lay on the ground, trampled and broken. Her once bright light blue eyes staring up at the sky, completely lifeless. We still kept staring as the wall slowly closed. None of us could understand what we just saw, or what sick bastard made this. A scream brought us back to reality. _

**~*~*~*~**

“CADENZA!!!” Laurence screamed as he fell to his knees, sobbing as we all stood there. So many of us looked sick, or grasped onto family for comfort. Even  _ Gene  _ was looking away. Aaron winced as he closed his eyes. Ein almost doubled over.

“Wasn’t that fun!?” Warlock beamed. “Now all of you go sleep! You have another brilliant day tomorrow!” We all stared at him.

“Brilliant…?” I hissed, glaring. “BRILLIANT!? Two of our friends are dead! I don’t know what sick- sick  _ FUCK  _ is controlling you but-”

“-Aphmau enough…” Travis murmured, grabbing my hand. “Remember what happened when Gene tried to beat this sicko up...look at all of us...we need you.” I looked over, and he was right. While everyone seemed disturbed or sick, they were still looking at me. I had led them through that whole thing... _ they need me _ .

“Okay…” I glared at Warlock, as he seemed to smirk, staring at me as I walked back. The doors out of the basement opened, and we all walked out. No one spoke...no one uttered a single word as we went into our dorms. I flopped on my bed as I looked up.

Two of our friends were dead...there were only  _ 18  _ of us left.

_ What’s going to happen now…? I...I don’t know...they need me. I can’t let Cadenza and Nicole’s deaths be in vain… _

**_I need to keep hope from extinguishing._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER 1: ADJUSTMENTS TO LIFE - END.
> 
> SURVIVING STUDENTS: 18.


	7. Chapter 2: A School Divided - Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Still reeling from the aftermath of Cadenza's execution, Aphmau may have her work cut out for her as tensions rise between the group. As Warlock announces a "prize", what will they find? And how long must they wait until someone finds them, or will someone take things into their own hands...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to the support you guys have shown for this series so far! I have a new Aphmau AU released if you're interested; a Zombie Apocalypse AU! I also have another I'm writing, but that needs to be written a bit more before release. Hope you guys enjoy! Bit of a slower chapter this time!

“Goooooood morning everyone! It is now 7am! Time to greet another  _ BEAUTIFUL  _ day!”

I sighed.  _ I doubt anyone has slept well...I know I haven’t.  _ Groaning, I sat up and got dressed, trying to give a smile as I noticed Blaze walk out of his own dorm.

“Morning Alpha…!” He was trying to act cheerful, for our sakes. But that wasn’t what caught me off-guard.

“Wait- Alpha? Isn’t that the name of a leader  _ wolf _ ?”

“Well yeah, but you led us through...that uh...t-trial! So you’re pretty much our leader, so I decided to call you Alpha!”  _ Huh...but isn’t Aaron the  _ **_Ultimate Pack Leader_ ** _? But I suppose he isn’t a werewolf either...so I guess it’s okay.  _

“W-well thanks...we...may as well go down and see who's there. I don’t know if many will be showing up for breakfast.” Blaze nodded and walked beside me as we walked into the cafeteria. To my surprise, everyone seemed to be there. Well...except  _ one _ .

_ Laurence isn’t here...I hope he’s ok...he shouldn’t be going through this alone.  _ As I sat down, a few people tried to smile at me, and then Gene stood up.

“Alright...now I need to say something. We’re all in danger here so I’ll just get to the point.” Everyone was confused as Gene stood, looking to all of us with a determined and slightly cold expression.

“I say that one of us sacrifices themself to become a blackened and  _ kill Laurence _ .”

**~*~*~*~**

“WHAT!?” Garroth roared, voicing what we were all thinking. Gene held his ground as he huffed.

“Laurence had us believing he was the murderer. Things were lining up...hell he had Aaron and Aphmau on his tail. Who’s to say he won’t try and do that again by working with a blackened? Sacrifice us all in order for one to escape?” Everyone looked down, my eyes widening in shock and fear.

_ Th-they can’t  _ really  _ be thinking about it!? _

“This is ludicrous!” Garroth snarled, slamming his fists on the table as he stood up. “Cadenza was his  _ sister!  _ And she just  _ died _ , have some damned respect! I would have done the same if Zane or Vylad were the blackened!” Gene huffed.

“Then you might be an enemy too…” Dante was shaking slightly as he looked to Gene.

“G-Gene enough…! Please.” Blaze huffed as well.

“Garroth Dude has a point man. That’s just messed up.”

“I don’t know…” Ein murmured. “He has a point. Laurence may not  _ now  _ but...in fact, we are  _ all  _ enemies...this just proves that anyone here could kill anyone. I mean, who's to say  _ Nicole  _ didn’t plan on killing Cadenza?” Now it was Blaze's turn to glare at _Ein_ , however someone else beat him to speaking.

“Are you serious right now!?” Katelyn growled. “Nicole would  _ never  _ have killed someone!”

“And how do  _ you  _ know?” Ein taunted.

“Well- why should  _ we  _ listen to you!? You’re the  **Ultimate Manipulator** !” Ein huffed, glaring at the blue-haired girl.

_ What is happening..?!  _ I stared in panic as the place slowly divided. 

The ones who believed Gene; Ein, Zane and Lucinda.

The ones who stood beside Garroth; Blaze, Vylad and Katelyn.

The rest of us; myself, Aaron, Kim, Kawaii~Chan, Dante, Teony, Emmalyn, Kenmur and Travis were standing on the outside.

“I’m not dealing with this…” Garroth snarled, pushing his chair out as he stormed out of the cafeteria. The other remainders of the two groups walked away as well. I held my head in my hands as I sighed heavily.

“Stop sulking.” Aaron huffed. “There’s bound to be unrest here...just deal with those who  _ aren’t  _ fighting. Everyone here.” I nodded weakly, though the point wasn’t really showing itself. Travis smiled gently as he placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Come on, we’ll go relax. The rest of you, try and calm down after the trial…” Everyone nodded and walked away, Travis walking off helping me.

**~ P.O.V. Switch; Garroth and Laurence ~**

Garroth mumbled to himself angrily as he walked down the halls of the school.  _ Who in Irene’s name does he think he is!? Laurence isn’t a threat… _

As he kept storming down the hall, he stopped as he heard a muffled noise from Laurence’s door.  _ Did one of them attack him!?  _ Running up to the door, he pushed it open frantically, eyes widening both in sadness and relief.

Laurence was trembling, curled up behind the bed. His hair was a mess, his eyes red and puffy, as well with small eye-bags growing under his eyes, not having slept the night before. He had tears marks on his face, and tears kept rolling.

“Laurence…” Garroth whispered. Laurence looked up, seeming to try and hide himself, trembling. He looked terrible, and seemed to curl in on himself further.

“G-Garroth…” Laurence choked out, pulling himself in tighter. Garroth’s eyes saddened as he sat down beside the brown haired male. 

“Do you think...o-one of them...w-will kill me…?” Garroth’s eyes widened as he shook his head, taking Laurence's hands in his. 

“No..! I’ll help protect you. You don’t... _ want  _ them to...do you?” Laurence shrugged.

“I-I don’t know…”

“Well, I’ll be staying with you.” Garroth smiled gently, blue eyes soft as he stayed beside Laurence, trying to make him feel better, even if it only worked for a few brief seconds at a time.

**~ P.O.V. Switch; Aphmau ~**

I sighed, walking through the halls. Everything was silent, especially with the dividing of the others here.  _ I need to do something...maybe I can find someone… _

Walking through, I noticed Emmalyn digging through the library, her eyes shining as she looked through books quickly and briefly, either putting them away or putting them aside, probably to read.

“Hey Emmalyn!” I called, and the blonde yelped in surprise as she fell back,  _ just  _ managing to catch a book that nearly fell out of her hands.

“Who in Irene’s name-?! Oh- it’s just you Aphmau.” She spoke briefly, which sort of unnerved me.  _ She doesn’t sound like she wanted to be bothered… _

“Is there something you needed?” She huffed impatiently. I shuffled a little on my feet before smiling softly.

“I was wondering if we’d be able to spend some time together,” I smiled, before turning my attention to the stack of books she had on the table beside us, “what kind of books were you looking for? They look interesting.” Emmalyn’s eyes lit up as she climbed down, her slight hostility seeming forgotten as she began speaking excitedly.

“Well while I _do_ enjoy a good novel every now and then, I also enjoy books which hold information! For example, one of my favourite books talks about legends regarding Irene! Oh, and then there’s…”

I held down my confusion and simply smiled and nodded as Emmalyn began to speak with me- or rather  _ at  _ me. Despite the strange conversation, I felt like myself and Emmalyn got a little closer.

**~~~~**

As I walked through the corridors, I tensed as I passed the gymnasium, closing my eyes as I remembered seeing Nicole’s body laying flat on the ground.  _ This is insane...d-damnit…! _

“What are you doing?” I jumped, turning around wildly to see Aaron staring at me, arms in the pockets of his red jacket. I looked aside, unable to answer. Aaron sighed, rolling his eyes. “You’re not going to be much use to them if you keep acting like this...come on.” I tilted my head, confusion etched on my face as Aaron walked into the gym, managing to find some boxing gloves and pads. He threw the gloves to me, which I struggled to catch.

“Come on, let out your frustration. Or are you  _ that  _ weak?” He smirked, semi challengingly, semi in an attempt to help me relax, as he put on the pads. “Come on!” I growled, fixing the gloves as I swung against the pads.

“Seriously? Come on, actually hit me!” I huffed, and after a while found myself relaxing. It was strange...being with Aaron, despite his stubborn and loner persona, spending time with him like this felt strangely familiar. As he smiled down at me, we turned to hear Warlock’s voice over the announcement system.

_ “Ahem! Could everyone please report to the gymnasium for a special announcement!”  _ Aaron and I shared a confused expression since we were already in there. And slowly, one by one everyone else started to fall in. I also noticed that the dividation in the students had gotten larger.

At first, Gene’s group only consisted of Lucinda, Gene, Ein and Zane. Now, Dante and Emmalyn had been added to that group, though from the look on Emmalyn’s face, she was mainly there from fear. And Garroth’s group only consisted of Blaze, Vylad and Katelyn. Now, Teony and Kawaii~Chan had joined him. So still, the only ones who cycled in who weren’t part of a group apart from myself and Aaron, were Travis, Kenmur and Teony.

I sighed sadly as Gene’s side stood on the left, where Garroth stood on the right. When we were all inside, we saw that demented little robot pop up again.

“Ah~ Good afternoon everyone- wait...one isn’t here!” I looked around, and as if almost on cue, Laurence walked in silently. His light blue eyes were cloudy and hazy, with bags under his eyes. Garroth’s eyes narrowed as he moved a hand to his shoulder gently, moving him close to his group, the rest of them glaring at Gene’s, who simply stared ahead at Warlock.  _ Why are we all tied up like this…? _

“Now,” Warlock began, clearing his throat, “since everyone seems  _ pretty  _ depressed after the last trial, I decided to give you all a little something!” We all looked confused as we heard grinding and the opening of iron above us.

“So  _ now _ the floor above is available! Only a few rooms though, you can’t be greedy now can you~? Well, that’s all! Take care~” And just like that, he disappeared. Looking around, I noticed the groups starting to leave.  _ I...I don’t know what to do…- _

Almost on cue, Travis clapped his hands together. “Now, I know a lot of you are divided right now, but I think the best thing to do right now is explore what’s open for us. At least be in pairs, so if anything happens you aren’t alone. We’ll meet in the cafeteria once we’ve finished.” Everyone nodded, and soon paired off, one of the main ones I noticed was Laurence grasping Garroth’s hand. Soon, they all went into pairs, and walked off.

“Hey, not-alone-buddy!” I turned from standing beside Aaron as Travis smiled, his white hair flopping to the side, accompanying the goofy smile he had on his face. “You comin?” I smiled, but turned to Aaron, only to notice he was just walking out of the gymnasium.  _ So much for that bonding… _

Rolling my eyes, I smiled and followed Travis out of the gymnasium.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will attempt to keep updates immediate this time, and as always, take care and be mindful of the warnings in tags, and any warnings that I put in the beginning notes. :)


	8. Chapter 2: A School Divided - Daily Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the students all explore the new levels given to them from Warlock, they seem to come across something strange. And as things start to look up, a new type of threat looms over them, threatening to divide the already divided group. But will this truly come through them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who is enjoying this story so far, if you have any theories, let me know in comments! I hope you guys proceed to enjoy the story as it continues.

Travis and I walked through the halls with the rest of the students, before getting to the set of stairs that led to the next floor. Sure enough, the gates that once blocked it were open. Before we began to walk up, I saw that Blaze was running back, panting.

“Sorry,” He was breathing heavily, grasping Ein’s shoulder as he caught his breath. Ein seemed surprised at the gesture but let it happen. “I went to see if the doors outside were open, but nope!”

_ So we can now only go upstairs and downstairs...alright.  _ I cleared my throat, about to speak before realising the students were already leaving, staying in their groups of following either Gene or Garroth. “Great…” I mumbled, rolling my eyes.

“Don’t worry about it, okay? Let’s just look around,” Travis smiled, his green eyes shining as he placed a hand on my shoulder. Despite not feeling entirely reassured, I nodded.

Exploring didn’t take much, we found a new bathroom, a lounge area and some classrooms. I lifted my head as I heard a squeal from down the hall. “That sounded like Teony!” Travis nodded, and we both made for a mad dash down the hall.

**~*~*~**

“Teony!” I shouted, running through the doors of one of the classrooms, startling the partner she had chosen, that being Emmalyn. “Is everything okay!?”

“She just got excited since it was a science lab.” Emmalyn sounded bored, pushing her glasses further back up her face.

“Right…” Travis rolled his eyes, shaking his head. I sighed, annoyed that the squeal was for something so trivial, but glad that noone was hurt. As I began to look around, I stepped on something, causing glass to break beneath my foot.

“Huh?” The noise seemed to alert the others as I picked up the object. It was a framed photo, with myself, Teony, Katelyn, Kawaii~Chan and Nicole. We were sitting in the classroom, laughing as Katelyn appeared to be tackling Nicole, while Teony seemed to be frantically keeping them from breaking anything.

“ _ What? _ ” I shared a confused look with the others as Teony moved forward. 

“Interesting. That seems like us, but at the same time, I don’t remember that ever happening. I don’t even remember  _ meeting  _ you all before now!” I didn’t answer, simply staring at the photo, small fragments of memories seeming to float in my mind, trying to make sense of something that wasn’t there. As if this memory was a broken puzzle, and I was missing many of the pieces. Before we could talk some more, there was a heavy knock on the door. We turned to see Aaron leaning against the doorframe.

“We’re meeting in the cafeteria to explain what we found. Move it.” We all seemed to glare, but he walked off, indifferent.  _ Such a charmer… _ I rolled my eyes as we all made our way back downstairs, still holding the framed photo.

**~*~*~**

As we all sat in the cafeteria, I stood up. “First, did anyone find anything of note?” Everyone shook their heads, before Ein raised a hand.

“Blaze and I found a teacher’s staffroom. It didn’t have much, only files with the students and apparent work material. Other than that it was picked clean. Few textbooks, but nothing else. Tests, assignments...they weren’t there.”

“Kind of a useless thing to mention,” Gene huffed, arms folded. Ein snarled at him, baring teeth before Blaze seemed to pull him back.

“Right, well. Apart from classrooms, lounges and a bathroom, in a science lab Teony, Travis, Emmalyn and myself found something strange.” I moved my hair back as I put the photo down, everyone seeming to look confused, but none moreso than Katelyn and Kawaii~Chan.

“I- don’t remember this…” 

“Kawaii~Chan doesn’t remember this happening to her either…”

“That’s the thing,” Teony stated, moving her brown hair behind her shoulders, “none of us do. Not me, and neither does Aphmau. Judging from the fact we’re in Phoenix Drop High uniforms, it is safe to say that this must have been taken when we were in school.”

“But we’ve all graduated! And I think I’d remember meeting you lot.” Katelyn huffed, her arms folded. Kawaii~Chan’s ears were back as she shook her head.

“Kawaii~Chan wishes she could be of more help Aphmau~Senpai, but Kawaii~Chan just doesn’t remember this…” I smiled softly.

“It’s alright Kawaii~Chan. Who knows? We might find more things like this. For now, let’s try and calm down, okay?”

“And how can we do that with a possible murderer around..?” Gene muttered quietly, his cold gaze glaring hard at Laurence, who seemed to shift and hide a little behind Garroth, who clenched his fists.

“If anyone’s most likely to cause a murder here, it’s you.” Garroth growled. Gene’s blue eyes narrowed as he stood up, grabbing Garroth by the collar of his white and blue checkered over-shirt.

“You wanna say that again?” Gene growled. Dante stood, trying to pull his brother back as Garroth glared back at him.

“I think you  _ heard _ me…” Garroth’s voice was cool but threatening, as he pushed Gene back forcefully, sending him careening across the room. Everyone was staring at Garroth as he took Laurence’s hand and walked out. I sighed, looking around at the now silent cafeteria. I didn’t need their eyes on me to know what they were thinking.

_ I need to find a way that they’ll trust Laurence...I know he won’t hurt anyone...I just know it. But how do I convince them otherwise? _

***~*~*~***

_ I suppose I should take this opportunity to try and explore by myself...or perhaps find someone else to talk to.  _ I began walking down the halls. Everyone seemed to be hiding by themselves very well, or perhaps that was because of Garroth and Gene’s factions. 

“How has this happened…?” I groaned, rubbing my face, trying to make sense of all this, before my eyes shifted to the side, noticing the security cameras around the school were blinking and moving.  _ So there  _ is  _ someone here watching us...interesting… _

I kept walking, soon coming across Garroth and Laurence in one of the classrooms. They must have heard me, because Garroth was in front of Laurence in a second.  _ He must care for Laurence a lot to be  _ that  _ paranoid....then again...I suppose Gene’s threats should be taken seriously, as the  _ **Ultimate Gang Leader** _ … _

Garroth relaxed as he seemed to recognise that it was me who walked in, sitting back down. Laurence and Garroth had a board game out on the desks in front of them, all pushed together. “Oh, it’s you Aph…” He smiled, his bright blue eyes calming down once again. Even Laurence gave a slight smile. I chuckled.

“Hi you both…! What are you doing?”

“We decided to keep away from everyone else and play a board game...it’s peaceful up here anyway, even  _ if  _ we can’t see out of any windows…” Garroth grumbled the last bit, hitting his fist against the metal plating on the windows, then wincing as he shook his hand in pain. Laurence rolled his eyes, smiling softly at Garroth’s antics.

“Sounds fun!” I grinned, moving my hair back. “Can I join in?” 

“Sure…” I blinked, looking to Laurence, who moved his hair out of his eyes a little. He still didn’t seem entirely out of the woods, and I was certain the threats from Gene wouldn’t be helping, but he did seem to look a little better. I smiled, and sat down. Garroth and Laurence quickly explained the rules, and we soon started to play.

**~*~*~*~**

“So Aph,” Laurence spoke as he moved his figure across the board. We’d already played at least two games, and were starting on our third. I flicked my gaze up as I waited for my turn, and Laurence continued speaking. “You’re the  **Ultimate Storyteller** , right?” I nodded.

“Yeah! I’ve written a few stories...let’s see…” I leaned back, trying to remember the names of what I’d written.

“Ah! Yeah...there was Heart Point High...A Royal Tale...and I was already working on something called Diaries...I enjoy storytelling.” Laurence smiled slightly.

“Sounds fun!” Garroth chuckled. I smiled, and we continued playing. It was nice, the three of us acting as friends like this…

And it felt familiar. It was strange; it was like I’d known these two before. Being with them felt so natural, and talking to them came to me easily. But at the same time...as I tried to rack my brain for anything, something, I came up blank. It was frightening. But no matter what, I felt like I’d gotten a little closer to Garroth and Laurence, and I could definitely see through what everyone was scared about. If anything, Laurence was the least likely to kill someone here. But that still didn’t mean I was going to choose a side.

**~*~*~*~**

There was laughter coming from the cafeteria. As I walked inside, I could see Kawaii~Chan and Kim talking together, covered a little in flour as ingredients were messed about on the counters.

“What’s going on in here?” My question came out in a little chuckle as the mief~wa turned her attention to me first, Kim giving a little yelp in surprise as she turned as well.

“Aphmau~Senpai!” Kawaii~Chan smiled, “Kim~Chan and I decided to bake…!” Kim nodded.

“W-We thought it might h-help to raise the others’ spirits...things have a-already been a little tense…with Garroth and Gene fighting and...t-the factions from people either believing one or the o-other…” I smiled.

“That sounds nice...actually…” I looked aside, before back up. “Why don’t we all try and do this? Kim, can you help me find some people to help?” Kim’s eyes shone as she nodded. Leaving Kawaii~Chan to set everything up, Kim and I split up to find people to do some baking.

**~*~*~*~**

Within a few minutes, we’d alerted everyone we could find. Of course, Zane had called it  _ ‘a waste of time’ _ , and we didn’t really think Gene would turn up at all. But within an hour, Teony, Katelyn and Blaze had shown up. Next came Dante, Garroth and Laurence, then Travis, Emmalyn, Kenmur, Vylad and Lucinda as time went on. Even Ein had shown up. The only two who hadn’t, were Zane and Gene, even though I could have sworn I saw Zane peek in and immediately leave.

Looking aside, I noticed Aaron standing by the door, hands in the pockets of his red jacket. 

“Are you going to help grumpy pants?” Aaron huffed, narrowing his eyes.

“This is worthless, you know that right?” I raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t think so...look,” gesturing with my hand, I looked around at everyone. It seemed like the divide between the groups had slowly been forgotten about; everyone was laughing, helping each other. A few had made a bit of a mess, but they all seemed happy. “Everyone is getting along. They’re having fun…” Aaron huffed, looking aside, before his voice quietened.

“You really think you can help them? Keep their  **hope** alive?” I swallowed, looking aside.

“I...I can try. If I don’t try then...what good is it? What good is any of this?” Aaron gave a huff that almost  _ seemed  _ like a chuckle.

“I don’t know. But maybe it is...can you keep it?” Standing tall, he was about to walk over before we all stopped, hearing a voice over the intercoms. A voice we slowly forgot about, one that sounded so bright, but was so full of malice.

  
_ “So uh...I’m bored! Everyone come to the gymnasium for a surprise! And don’t be late!~''  _ Aaron looked at me, his face seeming to say ‘told you so’ as he walked out. I looked over at everyone, who slowly and nervously started to walk behind me, as if I was leading some charge.

**Author's Note:**

> I will attempting to update this book fortnightly as chapters have been pre-written, to try and keep ahead of my schedule. Chapters will probably get progressively darker as things go on. Please keep caution, and I hope you enjoy.


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